Breakthrough Artist Quotes

I was aware of all the artists who make good debut records over the years, but no one hears them - and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen in my case.

I'm one of those artists that nobody ever sees coming. We started with Virgin in 1993. If you look at the climate of that time in reggae and you were to pick the top five people that'd have a shot at having mainstream success, I was nowhere in that equation at all.

Obviously Spawn was at the top of the charts at that point so you get a lot of opportunities.

My little bro Kendrick Lamar. I've been saying it for the times even when I was on Warner when everybody knew him as K-Dot. I used to tell people all the time, watch when K-Dot step out the box, he's going to be a problem.

MTV rarely hires established talent. They groom nobodies that they believe in into somebodies.

I left school at 17 and was a star by the time I was 18 - in certain parts of the world anyway.

What I didn't expect was 'VIP' becoming something of a cult and one of my biggest hits.

When Taylor Swift was first beginning to really take off, a couple of guys I knew in her band called and offered me a job on her tour playing acoustic guitar and singing background vocals, and they thought I would be a really good fit for it.

Norah Jones is a breath of fresh air. Norah Jones can sing and play. She's got some talent. I was totally ecstatic that that girl got noticed, because she's wonderful.

To be considered for the hottest breakthrough MC of 2011, it's obviously an honor, but I want to be the hottest.

I love watching new acts find their footing. It's fun to watch them early on in their careers and get a gut feeling about who's going to be a superstar.

Eric Church knocks down doors everywhere he goes.

To meet an artist when they first start out is like having a seat on the 50-yard line and watching them get a touchdown... The Weeknd, Pink, Harry Styles, Lorde, Miley Cyrus, Niall Horan, Kesha - these are all artists I interviewed back before anyone knew who they were. To watch them turn into these superstars is just amazing.